Ar ethere any Gas/elec supplies who infiorm their custs of price changes?

bikeman

Hi

Bizarely, I use Brit gas for elec and southern elec for Gas. Neither bothers to inform me when they change their prices and so I am often getting a suprise on my bill.

I don't necessarily want the cheapest but I do what a supplier who will inform me when they revise their prices. I want one who can be bothered to provide a service (e.g answering their calls etc) rather than one who just fleeces me by practices such as leaving me on old tariffs which don't fall when prices get lowered yet always mange to be revised upwards very promptly without bothering to tell me.

Do such suppliers exist in the UK?

Thanks

1carminestocky

I believe they have 65 days from the date of the increase to inform you in writing (yes, it's a pathetically long time but they have millions of customers and are generally VERY inefficient, lol)

bikeman

1carminestocky wrote: »

I believe they have 65 days from the date of the increase to inform you in writing (yes, it's a pathetically long time but they have millions of customers and are generally VERY inefficient, lol)

If that's the case then they are breaking some rule because they don't. The only time I find out is on a quarterly bill when it's 3 months too late.

I rang BG and they said 'we can't possibly tell all our customers' - yet a) I get online billing so it really wouldn't be that hard to send me an email and b) they manage to post me no end of bloody offers for loft insulation and boiler replacements!

smidgey

As mentioned here the price rise letters have to be organised in such a way that it doesn't cause grid lock into the call centres.

They generally need to be planned around large bill drops, vast amounts of DD reassessments and all the various acquisition and withdrawal literature.

Also most companies announce a new fixed price product when there is a price rise which is advertised nationally and can generate an influx of calls.

It should be a lot easier for Click customers though. When I was on Click 4 I got informed of the increase by e-mail.

smidgey

1jim

dellxps wrote: »

Hi,

as 1carminestocky said, companies have 65 working days to write to customers to let them know. You have ten days from when you get the letter to reject the price rise and arrange to switch supplier.

quote]

Does that mean that for these 65 +10days we could still be on the lower tarif (I know that they would have put up prices on day one) but if they took 65days to let you know they had changed their prices and you took 10 days to let them know you were changing would they then have to put you back (for all of those 75days ) on to the pre-rise price until your change takes effect? If thats the case might be worth doing in anycase (an extra 2mths at a lower rate would be most welcome)

megwatt

yes but under regulations set by ofgem your newly selected supllier must notify your current company within 15 workings days or you can get billed for the new prices!

powerupz

I got a letter today (dated 17 October 2008) from Atlantic E&G stating that "From 25 August 2008 we will have to raise gas prices by 29.2% and electricity prices by 19.2% on average." The use of the future tense for a historical event was somewhat amusing, even if the price rise wasn't.

What other business could get away with this? Imagine getting a bill from your local petrol station 4 months after filling up, telling you that you owe them an additional £50 for each tank you bought because they had increased the price but not got round to changing the pump price displays!

I was told by Consumer Direct (who took over from Energywatch on 1st Oct) that Energywatch changed the rules on price notification earlier this year, no longer requiring that energy companies notify their customers 28 days BEFORE raising price, but giving them an additional 65 working days AFTER they raise prices before they need to let their customers know.

Consumer Direct also told me they no longer handle complaints (unlike Energywatch) and can only refer you to your energy company. Seems a bit strange when the latest energy pricing scam is just kicking off.